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Theseus was a great hero to the people of Athens. When he returned home after a war, the ship that had carried him and his men was so treasured that the townspeople preserved it for years and years, replacing its old, rotten planks with new pieces of wood.
Can i substiute had preserved or had been preserving for preserved ? If not, can you tell me why?
You cannot use the past perfect or past perfect progressive. These would be appropriate for an action that happened before any of the other actions here, but the ship was preserved after Theseus returned home and the ship was treasured (admired/valued) by the townspeople.
